The Trapp Family
by utility - singer
Summary: A young postulant is sent as tutor for a young girl in a family of seven, and catches the eye of their widowed father. Will she find the life that she was born to live?
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:**_ _This story is a combination of my own ideas, the elements I most love from the 1965 movie, and borrows from 'real' events heavily, as they were written in Maria's book and shown in the original movie Die Trapp Family. I own nothing, and write for no commercial gain. I hope you enjoy it._

After the close of morning prayer, the sisters left the chapel of Nonnberg Abbey, making their egress in two even, straight lines, peeling off in pairs as they moved silently through the stone corridors. Upon reaching the work room, seven of the remaining group made their way to their stations while the eighth went straight to the window, opening the panels wide and breathing deeply of the fresh, mountain air.

"Oh! It is such a lovely day! I can almost hear the mountains calling to me," Maria muttered, mostly to herself. She turned from the open window to her own desk, whistling as she did.

"Maria." The sharp tone of voice made the young postulant stop and turn.

"We mustn't whistle." Sister Berthe's stern expression left no room for argument, and Maria knew well the rules against both whistling and singing while inside the abbey.

"Yes, Sister," Maria replied, as she dropped down on her knees to kiss the floor. She sighed as she got back up on her feet, and began sorting through the piles of papers and books, gathering the items needed to teach Sister Rupert's class, as the elderly woman recovered from illness. She didn't notice that the room emptied quickly, the other nuns on their way to start the workday.

Before she was finished, the sound of bells rang throughout the halls. _"Late again!"_ she thought, grabbing both stacks into her arms before rushing out the door. She'd been late to class every day for the past two weeks. Maria looked both ways down the corridor, and seeing no one, popped onto the banister and slid her way down from the convent proper to the school on the floor below. Her feet hit the floor awkwardly, and she pitched forward, books and papers spilling out of her grasp and onto the floor.

"Uh, Sister, may I help you with that?"

The deep baritone voice startled her, and she looked up from her task gathering her belongings, wide eyed and open mouthed. It wasn't that men were completely unknown in the halls of the school, but was quite rare. Especially one so handsome and distinguished looking. His hair a rich, dark brown peppered with a bit of gray near his temples, strong jaw, tall and broad-shouldered. But it was his eyes, cornflower blue, that pulled her in and made her, well, stare.

"Sister?" he inquired, as he knelt down and began gathering the loose papers and composition booklets, now in a disorderly heap on the slate floor. He did so blindly, unable to break eye contact, her cerulean eyes drawing him in with her innocence.

At a loss for words, Maria closed and opened her mouth several times before words came, looking like nothing so much as a codfish.

"I'm...I'm terribly sorry, sir. No, I can manage. I don't wish to trouble you." She quickly gathered the rest of her things, dashing across the hall into her classroom and closing the door just before another nun appeared.

XxXxX

"Good morning, Captain von Trapp?" The elegant and stately headmistress greeted the man as he rose, still gazing after the young nun who had nearly knocked him down.

"Oh, yes, Sister Hilda. I'm sorry," he said, holding out his hand in greeting. "I was….distracted for a moment, one of your Sisters …"

"Not to worry, Captain. How is dear Marta feeling these days?" The headmistress of the Abbey school was quite fond of the von Trapp children, especially since their mother had passed away.

His look turned somber. "She's had another relapse, Sister, and won't be strong enough to attend class for the rest of the term. I was, ah, hoping we could arrange for a tutor, perhaps? I'm quite concerned about her falling behind."

The kindly nun smiled at him. "Of course, Captain. I will speak to the Reverend Mother later today, and I'm sure we'll find a suitable candidate."

XxXxXxX

"Ave."

Upon hearing her invitation to enter the Mother Abbess' office, Maria quietly closed the door behind her, crossed the room, and knelt before the elderly nun. As Maria kissed the ring on her hand, the Mother invited her to sit down.

"Maria-"

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Mother. I know I was late to class again today, and then late to vespers. It was just...the day was so beautiful, and I couldn't help but take a walk outside, and then the mountains seemed to call to me, leading me higher and higher, until-" The words rushed out of her mouth as quickly as water over the stones in a brook.

"Maria, that's not why I've called you here today." As soon as Sister Hilda had mentioned Captain von Trapp's request for a tutor, the Reverend Mother had known exactly the right candidate for the job. Maria had come to the abbey with a heart for God but a mind and spirit that seemed not to fit with the cloistered life at Nonnberg Abbey. Despite Maria's best intentions, the elder sisters had all agreed after much prayer that she wasn't a candidate for sisterhood. For weeks they'd been looking for a way to send her into the world, to help her discover that for herself.

"It seems that it is the will of God that you leave us."

The young woman's heart seized up into her throat. "Leave here? Oh, no, Reverend Mother, please, I…"

The elderly abbess held up her hand, a signal to the young woman to stop speaking. "Only for a time, Maria. I know that you weren't fully prepared for the life we lead here, what we expect, and I believe that once you complete this assignment, you will know if you can expect it of yourself."

The postulant sat as the Reverend Mother outlined her new task: she was to become tutor for a little girl, one of a family of seven- _SEVEN!-_ children of Captain von Trapp. While her five older siblings attended the abbey school, the poor dear had suffered yet another relapse from the scarlet fever that had claimed their mother's life several years before, and she wasn't strong enough to endure the rigorous school day. One younger sibling wasn't yet old enough to attend school. Maria tried to summon a recollection of the family, but having been serving in the orphanage tending to infants, wasn't familiar with any of them.

Her mind was racing as she stood, took the paper with the address of the family's home, and followed the Reverend Mother to the door.

"My dear, at the end of this assignment, you will know the will of God, and find the life you were born to live."

XxXxX

After being given the only dress left in the poor closet, packing her meager possessions in an old carpet bag, and gathering up her beloved guitar, Maria left the stone wall of Nonnberg Abbey. She said a quick prayer for wisdom and understanding, and as she walked to the center of Salzburg where she would board the bus for the trip to Aigen she couldn't help but sing to herself. It was a song she remembered from her own childhood, something her mother sang when she needed a boost of confidence for a difficult task. Over and over the words played in her mind, and then began streaming from her mouth, her voice getting louder as she got closer to the von Trapp home. Skipping down the lane past a horse farm, she noticed several buildings and a rather imposing wall with black iron gates. She noticed the address sign. 53 Aigen, and recognized it from the paper the Reverend Mother had given her.

Looking through the gate in the middle of the imposing concrete surround, she caught sight of the house. Not a house, really, to Maria's eyes it seemed almost a palace, two stories high with many windows, and a fountain in the middle of the drive.

"Oh, help!" she whispered to herself and ran toward the door.

 _Yep, this also found some inspiration from the February prompt at the TSOM Proboards group. To be continued….I hope you enjoyed this set-up, please leave a review!_


	2. Chapter 2

With some trepidation, Maria walked up to the formidable front door and rang the bell. After a long moment, the door opened, a very stern looking older man standing just inside.

"Yes? May I help you?" His face was unreadable.

"Good afternoon, Captain," she said, offering him her hand, which he reluctantly shook. "I'm here from the Abbey." Maria noticed a confusion settle on his brow. "I'm the new tutor," she explained.

The man rolled his eyes heavenward. "And I'm the old butler. Come in, Fraulein, the Captain has been expecting you." He took her bags, closed the door behind them, and led her down a short set of stairs to a grand hallway, with many doors leading to other rooms along the walls. "You will stay here, please," he added, as he left the hall down a short corridor.

Maria looked around the enormous space. She'd never been to any private residence so grand before, and it was almost too much to take in. Parquet floor, large white columns, richly patterned rugs. Paintings with golden frames, furniture with gold trim, chairs with gold velvet upholstery. As she wandered, she spied a set of double doors, noticing they were closed while all the other rooms were open. Intrigued, her curiosity got the better of her, and she tried to peek through the gap without success, so carefully opened a door to peek inside.

What she saw was exceeded in man-made beauty only by the sanctuary at Nonnberg. Walls of gilt and mirrors from floor to ceiling, a parquet floor in an intricate trellis pattern of dark and light wood, huge chandeliers hidden by dust covers. At the other end of the room were doors mostly made of glass, which opened up to a courtyard surrounded by evergreen hedges. She couldn't help herself, and quietly entered the space.

She could see now that the walls also held painted panels with beautiful works of art between the mirrored ones. One corner held many chairs also covered to protect them from dust, and behind them a grand piano, covered and appearing to have been silenced long ago. What a grand space! Maria couldn't help but pretend she was a glorious lady, being invited to dance in this lovely ballroom, bowing and coyly fanning herself to an invisible suitor.

 _BANG!_

The young woman jumped at the sound and turned to find the doors wide open, held that way by the tall, formidable shape of a man. Gathering her wits as best she could, she dashed to the doors, peeking at him from beneath the old fireman's hat she'd been given from the poor closet. For a fleeting moment she thought…

He moved aside to let her pass, then closed the doors as he spoke.

"In the future, _Fraulien_ , you will remember that there are certain rooms in this house that shall not be disturbed."

"Yes, Captain."

Their eyes met, and Maria froze. It was indeed the man she'd literally bumped into that morning after sliding down the banister. _Oh Lord, why?_

He recognized her by her eyes, instantly. Wide and innocent and lively, their vivid blue luring him in now just as they had that morning at the school. Clearing his throat, he spoke again.

"Good afternoon, Fraulein…" he left a pregnant pause, hoping she'd fill it. She did.

"Maria," she offered.

"Fraulein Maria, thank you for coming. Ah, hat off, please?"

A bit self-consciously, she removed the wide-brimmed, brown leather hat. His face displayed an expression she was unable to discern.

"Turn," he requested, not quite demanding but compelling, and as Maria did as he asked she realized that the old-fashioned black crepe dress, which was too long and too wide, was even more unattractive than she'd thought.

The Captain made an unpleasant clucking sound. "It's the dress. You'll need to change before you meet the children."

"Oh, well, I haven't another. When we enter the abbey our worldly clothes are given to the poor…"

"What about this one?"

"The poor didn't want this one." If one could both sneer and smirk at the same time, that was his expression. "I can make my own clothes, though there wasn't any time," she added.

"Hmm, we'll take care of that. Now, I'd like you to meet the children."

"Of course, sir," Maria consented, and was startled once again when he pulled out a whistle and began trilling it, loudly. Immediately, the pounding of feet, the slamming of doors, and muffled laughter could be heard on the floor above.

She watched as the children-six of them, she counted twice-got into formation in size order and marched in tandem and in matching sailor uniforms, down the stairs where they lined up in front of their father. Maria noted a space between two of the girls, one with dark hair and eyes, and a blonde with blue eyes that had to be the one too young for school.

Maria looked on in both admiration for the children's composure and horror at the idea of whistling for them like pet dogs, as they stepped forward in turn to introduce themselves at the sound of their specific whistle tone. Liesl, Friedrich, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta. The youngest girl stepped forward and back into line, forgetting to state her name, her mouth set firmly as she glared at her father.

The Captain cleared his throat again. "And Gretl." The little one relaxed, but continued glaring at him. Maria wondered what he could possibly have done to incur the wrath of such a little girl, and had to suppress a laugh.

"I place the highest emphasis on discipline, orderliness and decorum." He handed Maria a second whistle on a chain. "Here, I am placing you in command. The children will help you learn their signals. I won't have shouting on the grounds."

She reluctantly reached for the silver implement. "I'm sorry, sir, but I couldn't possibly…" Noticing again the space in the line, Maria asked, "Which one is my student, Captain?"

At her words, his eyes darkened with what she instinctively recognized as loss. "You haven't met her yet, I'll take you to her in a moment." He turned his attention from her.

"Children, dinner will be served in less than an hour. You will complete your homework before you dress." Having been dismissed, they turned as a group and began climbing back up the stairs. The Captain indicated to Maria that she, too, should head upstairs. He walked with her, side by side, as he explained.

"Marta was very ill with scarlet fever several years ago, more so than her siblings. She was left with a weakened heart, and is far more susceptible to illness now. Unfortunately, she contracted the flu a couple of weeks ago and the long day at school is simply too much for her." He stopped at the end of a long corridor and opened a door. Maria followed him inside.

"Marta, this is your new teacher, Fraulein Maria. She will be here to help you keep up with your schoolwork, until you are well enough to go back."

The little girl looked up at Maria, smiling shyly. "Hello, Fraulein Maria. It is very nice to meet you."

Maria's heart was instantly captured by the small, dark-haired girl tucked into the bed. "And I'm very pleased to meet you, Marta."

She watched as the Captain leaned over his little daughter, stroking the top of her head and placing a kiss on her forehead. "I'll have Frau Schmidt bring your dinner up shortly, sweetheart." The tenderness in his voice and his eyes was in such contrast to the man she'd met downstairs, Maria wasn't sure what to think.

The Captain turned to address her. "If you follow me, I'll show you to your quarters. We have no governess at the present time, so you'll be in the family wing, near the children." He walked to the door where, once again, he waited to allow her to pass first.

"Well, Fraulein, what did you think of my children?" he asked, surprising her with the question.

"Oh, they do seem lovely, Captain, and very well-behaved."

He chuckled, "Not always", and she was struck once more by the contrast between this man and the martinet she'd met downstairs.

"I must explain, Fraulein, there have been twenty-six tutors, governesses and nursemaids here in the four years since…" his voice trailed off. "The last was here for only two hours. I do hope that that doesn't, ah, dissuade you."

"No, Captain, I have my orders to stay until after the Christmas holidays," she admitted, not letting on her curiosity as to the reason the last didn't last half a day.

They walked past three other doors before he stopped and opened the fourth. Maria followed him into a very large, bright space; blue silk coverings on the bed, a lovely reading chair near a large bay window to take advantage of the daylight. A large wardrobe and a writing desk completed the furnishings, all in a lovely mid-brown wood. Another door opened to her own, private washroom with a large bathtub.

"You are free to get settled in your room, if you find it to your liking. Dinner will be served shortly." The Captain moved to leave and close the door.

"I'm sure this will be fine, Captain, thank you," Maria called after him. Indeed, this was one of the nicest rooms she'd ever seen, and she was to call it her own, at least for the next several months. It was now only the beginning of October, and she had been pledged to the family until at least the end of the calendar year.

Spying her carpet bag and guitar already in the room, Maria briefly wondered how it got there before realizing that the house was likely full of servants. She, being a tutor, would be placed in higher regard than other household staff, and would benefit from their labors. The realization made her a bit uncomfortable.

It didn't take long for her to unpack her meager belongings-a nightgown and robe, slippers, several changes of undergarments, some hygiene items. a bible, catechism, and rosary. The clothing was placed in the wardrobe, personal items in the drawer next to the sink in the washroom, and the religious items on the table beneath the window. Maria indulged herself in the view from the window-the grounds of the villa directly beneath, a lake just beyond that, and the towering mountains, including her beloved Untersberg, looming above it all. She smiled to herself, thinking that she could certainly manage to enjoy her time here, away from the abbey, if she simply set her mind to do so.

XxXxX

The dinner bell called everyone to the dining room, and by the time Maria arrived everyone in the household was already seated. She recognized the Captain and the children, but not the elegant woman seated at the foot of the table. There were two empty seats on either side of the lady; Maria presumed one to be for Marta, and the other for herself. Choosing the seat alongside the youngest-Gretl- she made her way across the room and sat down.

Almost immediately, she felt a tug on her sleeve. She looked down at the little girl, now dressed in a pale pink frock, and watched as Gretl picked up the napkin on her lap, and placed it back down again. Maria looked at her, confused, and Gretl quietly touched the napkin under Maria's own place setting. The butler, whose name Maria learned was Franz, served the first course of soup.

As the Captain was about to take his first taste, Maria interrupted. "Excuse me, sir, but haven't we forgotten to thank the Lord?"

He was obviously flustered, but set down his spoon and folded his hands, and everyone else followed suit. Maria bowed her head.

"For what we are about to receive, let us be truly thankful. Amen." A quiet chorus followed. Maria watched as Gretl picked up her spoon, and Maria chose her own utensil from the collection alongside her plate. The little girl nodded, and they both began to eat. They followed this routine for each course throughout the meal, and in between Maria learned that the elegant lady was known to the children as Tante Matilda. She wasn't yet sure of the position she held in the household, but she seemed kind.

Near the end of the meal, Franz entered the room with a piece of paper on a silver tray. As the Captain took the telegram and read it, Liesl asked by whom it had been delivered.

"Why, the young man Rolf," Franz replied, and Liesl nonchalantly rose to refill her water glass. While she was still standing at the sideboard, she asked if she could be excused from the table.

The Captain muttered a response, which Maria wasn't sure what it was but Liesl clearly took as a yes and she hurried from the room just before her father spoke.

"Tante Matilda, children-I'll be leaving in the morning for Vienna." Groans from the children sounded around the table. _"Not again, Father", "Why must you go", 'But, Father" …_ They were silenced by the Captain simply holding up his hand.

Little Gretl piped up. "How long will you be gone this time, Father?" _Ah_ , Maria thought, _perhaps that is why she scowls at him so._

"I'm not sure, Gretl, not sure," he curtly answered.

"Are you going to see the Baroness? Why can't we go?" Maria wasn't sure which of the children asked, as she hadn't yet learned their voices.

The Captain sighed. "You will see the Baroness when she is ready to come for a visit. You lot are a lot to handle. But when I return I will be bringing Uncle Max."

The cheers around the table brightened Maria's heart a bit, as the children clearly loved whomever it was that would be arriving with their father. Having been excused from the evening meal, the five remaining children scampered away, Maria following behind them.


	3. Chapter 3

After having her measurements taken for new dresses by Frau Inga, who was responsible for the clothing of everyone at the villa, Maria had been given the evening to herself to settle in. As she performed her usual evening ritual of bathing, scripture reading, and prayer, she couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't some divine intervention that had led her to this position in this house. What else could it be, that that very morning she had literally bumped into the Captain and now would be waking every morning to care for his little daughter?

Marta was quite a delightful, if delicate, girl. The pile of storybooks next to the child's bed indicated that she enjoyed reading, and in Maria's experience, however limited, that usually meant an eagerness to learn. Oh, it would be quite fun working with just one student!

She knelt down beside her bed, as a flash of lightning, followed by a crack of thunder, heralded the arrival of a fierce rainstorm. The cooling breeze coming in from the window made Maria shiver. Folding her hands in prayer, she began to speak to her Lord.

"...and, the other one. What's his name? Well, God bless _what'shisname_." A noise at the window made her open her eyes, in time to see the eldest daughter, Liesl, sneaking across the rug, soaking wet. In a flash, Maria remembered this was the governess' room, and there was no governess. Quickly before the girl reached the door, she rushed out her prayer.

"And now, dear God, about Liesl." The girl turned and began to speak, but Maria shushed her and continued. "Help her to know that I am her friend. . .and help her tell me what she's been up to.

"Are you going to tell on me?"

"Shhh. Help me to be understanding so I may guide her footsteps. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost." Maria crossed herself and rose from her knees.

"I was out walking and somebody locked the doors early. I didn't want to wake everybody, so when I saw your window open. . . .I climbed up the trellis." Liesl looked down guiltily, and it touched Maria's heart. Clearly she needed guidance. Perhaps this, too, was why God had led her to this family. Another huge crash of thunder sounded.

After closing the window, Maria went to the wardrobe and grabbed her only spare nightgown. "Here," she said, handing it to Liesl. "Put this on, and then we can sit and have a talk."

Almost the moment that Liesl closed the door to the bathroom, the hall door flew open, and little Gretl appeared, eyes wide and body shaking with fright. A second crash sent her running straight to Maria's arms.

"Oh, Gretl, you aren't afraid of a little thunder, are you?" The stout little blond nodded her head vigorously.

"Well, come on and sit here with me." No sooner were the words out of her mouth than both Louisa and Brigitta appeared in the doorway, with little Marta in Louisa's arms.

"Look at that," Maria told Gretl. "Now we just have to wait for the boys,"

"The boys won't come, they're not scared," Gretl replied. Another crash of thunder, and before Maria could count to ten, the boys appeared, trying with all their might not to appear afraid.

"Oh, you boys aren't scared, are you?" Maria asked.

"Not at all Fraulein. Kurt and I just wanted to make sure you weren't scared," Friedrich answered.

"Oh, that's the one I forgot!" Maria exclaimed. She turned her eyes heavenward. "God bless Kurt."

While she wasn't sent to be the governess to all the children, Maria could hardly turn them away, though she was puzzled as to why their first inclination was to run to her room rather than to their father's, when she hadn't known them for more than a handful of hours. _Well, if this is what they need, then I'll surely provide it,_ she thought.

"Well, might as well all come up here. We can sing some songs to try and ignore the storm." The postulant-turned-tutor-turned-governess began to sing a nonsense song about her favorite things, and eventually all the children joined in making suggestions, even Liesl once she reappeared, dressed in Maria's nightdress.

The singing, dancing, and laughter came to an abrupt end when the Captain entered Maria's room unannounced, nearly causing her to crash right into him for the second time that day.

"Oh, hello….." she said, as the children once more scrambled into formation.

"Fraulein, perhaps I neglected to tell you that in this house, bedtime is to be strictly observed," he instructed, his eyes never leaving his children.

"I'm sorry, sir, but the children were upset by the storm, and I-" She stopped speaking when he directed his next comment to Liesl.

"Liesl? I don't remember seeing you anywhere after dinner." It was clearly a statement and not a question. As she stumbled for a reply, Maria offered an excuse.

"Well, Liesl and I were getting better acquainted, sir, and…" a sharp look in Maria's direction stopped her word.

"Fraulein, you are here as tutor Marta, you needn't involve yourself in other matters."

Maria's blood began to boil. Clearly these children needed much more attention than they were getting. "But, Captain…"

He interrupted her. "Children." The single word was all he needed to say. The look on their faces chastened Maria, and she backed off. She didn't want to make things worse, after all.

"Off you go, children, go on back to bed. The storm is nearly over, now. Goodnight," she added, noticing Liesl's look of distress as she left her father alone with Maria.

"Sir, if I may…"

"No, Fraulein, you may not. The first order of this house is discipline, and without it everything falls apart. Is that clear?"

"Well, yes, but…"

"Fraulein, were you this much trouble at the Abbey?" He looked her straight in the eye, and though it could have been her imagination, she thought she saw him holding back a smirk.

"Oh, much more, sir," she replied, as firmly as she dared.

This time the smirk was more pronounced. "You do remember I am leaving in the morning?" She nodded. "I do hope by the time I arrive home, you will have acquired some of the discipline necessary for this position?"

"Yes, sir." Her eyes were wide, and fixed directly into his.

He sighed, keeping eye contact for a few moments longer than necessary. Those eyes that drew him in. Finally he came to his senses. "Goodnight then, Fraulein," he said as he closed the door behind him.

XxXxXx

The next several days found Maria overwhelmed with all that she needed to learn. In addition to the seven children, the Captain, and Tante Matilda, there were numerous household staff-Inga, the butler Franz, Frau Schmidt and her bevy of housekeepers, cooks, gardeners, and stable managers. More than twenty in all! In addition to the staff, there were numerous rules to follow, nearly all of them somehow managing, in Maria's mind, to stifle the children.

A few days after the Captain's departure, Maria decided Marta could use some fresh air. It was a lovely, crisp early autumn day, and before they'd gotten to the stone path leading to the expanse of lawn beyond the terrace, the other six children were behind them, Gretl quickly coming up beside Maria to take her hand.

When Maria turned with the little girls onto the grass, the others stopped, looking uncertain. Realizing they hadn't followed, she turned.

"Would you all like to come play with us, children?"

The five older ones looked amongst each other, before Friedrich spoke in reply.

"We don't play, Fraulein. Only march about the grounds. Father doesn't like us to get our uniforms dirty," he added quickly in explanation.

Maria was surprised. "Well, we'll just have to go and change into some clothes you can play in, then." It seemed simple enough to her.

This time is was Brigitta that answered. "We don't have play clothes."

The young postulant thought for a moment. "Let's just walk, then. No marching, though!" She laughed, then began skipping across the grass, holding the little girls each by a hand.

XxXxXx

One evening when dinner was finished, Tante Matilda invited Maria to her suite, in order that they should get to know one another better. Once the children were tucked into bed -a task Maria had taken on, relieving Liesl of the job -she knocked softly on Matilda's door.

The older woman warmly welcomed the younger, handed her a small glass of wine and offered a toast. "May you be the last to hold this job." After a moment, Maria realized that it was a compliment, and Matilda was hoping she would stay.

Matilda's suite was warm and cozy, in sharp contrast to the rest of the house, at least what Maria had seen. The sitting room was filled to the brim with upholstered chairs, cushions, and draperies, richly colored in a mix of floral patterns. It was all very elegant yet comfortable, much like the woman who stayed there.

They talked long into the night; rather, Matilda spoke and Maria listened with rapt attention about her employer and his family. The Captain had been a navy man all of his life, as his own father had been in the navy and killed in battle when the Captain, whom Matilda called by his given name of Georg, was just four years old. As a lad of Friedrich's age, he went into the naval school, where upon graduating he began a series of deployments at sea. His losses continued, though, as his brother was killed in a skirmish, and his mother died soon after of a broken heart. Georg was left with a single relative, his sister, who was an artist in Vienna.

"But he calls you Tante, as do the children, are you not related?" Maria asked.

"No, Fraulein. I'm a distant cousin to his late wife, so there is a connection to the children. I come down here several times a year, to make sure the household is being kept properly. Poor Frau Schmidt has her hands full, as in between the nursemaids, governesses and tutors she is the one on whom care of the children generally falls."

"Oh, I see," Maria answered quietly, as Matilda continued. While the Captain had been decorated for bravery with the highest honor an Austrian could receive, he'd lost his position when there was no longer a coastline for a navy to defend. This had depressed him deeply, but Agathe -for Maria had learned that was his wife's name -and their children kept him going.

"But sadly, soon after Gretl's birth, the older children brought home scarlet fever. Agathe nursed them all back to health, but poor little Marta was taken seriously ill, and even went into hospital during that time. While Marta was recovering Agathe herself was taken ill, and after several months all hope was lost and she died just before Gretl's first birthday."

Maria's head could barely process the awful tragedy that had befallen the family, let alone her heart. It was simply breaking, the poor man had lost his job, his country -and then his wife! No wonder he was so confusing to her, he was likely dreadfully confused himself.

Matilda continued on, explaining that he hadn't known what else to do, so treated the household, and his children, as though he were still in the military; adherence to schedule, and precision, order, discipline being the primary goals. If things seemed controlled, they were in control.

"That certainly explains quite a bit, thank you," Maria said softly. "But children should be children, they should play, and be silly, and get dirty."

Matilda frowned. "No, there is to be none of that. No playing, no laughing, no music. Nothing that reminds him of her."

"Even the children," Maria thought, and the thought was out of her mouth before she knew it.

"Yes, even the children. Oh, he loves them, of course, and when he returns from his trips he brings wonderful presents. But soon it all becomes too much for him and he goes off again on a business venture or to visit the Baroness." The older woman paused thoughtfully. "I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but I believe he is quite seriously thinking of marrying the woman."

Maria's face lit up. "That would be wonderful! The children would have a mother again."

"Yes," Matilda replied, her lack of enthusiasm notable. "Well, dear, that's enough for one evening. I do so enjoy your company, Maria. We shall do this again?" She rose and walked toward the door, giving Maria her cue to rise and follow.

"Yes, ma'am, I'd enjoy that very much."

XxXxX

"Oh, I do believe these are the prettiest dresses I've ever had!" Maria exclaimed, trying on the last of the frocks Frau Inga had made for her. "Thank you very much."

"No thanks are necessary, miss. This is what I do-provide uniforms for the staff and clothing for the children, oversee the laundress, care for the household linens. It really was no trouble at all." The short, stout woman with dark hair and sparkling brown eyes leaned in conspiratorially. "Beside, it was a nice change to make something other than sailor uniforms." Frau Inga winked at the young tutor, who had quickly taken over caring for all of the children, not just Marta.

"Speaking of uniforms, do you think you could make some play clothes for the children? They cannot run and play and do all of the things children should do when they are afraid of getting their clothes dirty."

"I'm sorry, Fraulein, I would need a direct request from the Captain for that. Besides their uniforms, they have their dress clothing, but to make play clothes. I just don't think so."

The Captain's voice flashed through Maria's memory. _I am placing you in command._ She smiled.

"Before he left the Captain placed me in command. Would that be enough to change your mind?" Out of the corner of her eye, Maria spied the perfect fabric, which she pulled from the shelf. There was more than enough of the old drapes to make clothes for each of the seven von Trapp children. "This will do just fine!"

Frau Inga agreed to her request, and a very pleased Maria danced out of the sewing room.


End file.
